Gujarat govt 'not interested' in turning farmers into solar power producers

Dr Tushaar Shah (left) with Gujarat official Sujit Gulati

By Rajiv Shah
A climate change experiment for promoting alternative sources of energy in Anand district, begun about two-and-a-half years ago by a world-renowned institute, meant for promoting groundwater solar pumps as a means for turning ordinary farmers into electricity producers, appears to have no takers in the Gujarat government.
Well-informed sources have told Counterview that though two top state officials have personally examined the experiment, carried out under the direction of well-known water expert Dr Tushaar Shah of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), things have refused to move.”
The experiment involves using solar pumps instead of diesel or electricity pumps for using groundwater for irrigation, but with a rider: The state government should connect the pumps with the state electricity grid and buy up whatever electricity is left unused after the farmers are done with irrigation.
Talking with Counterview on the sidelines of a media conference in Ahmedabad for promoting the experiment, Dr Shah explained, “If power is bought over by the state power distribution company, it would incentivize farmers to stop overexploiting groundwater for irrigation, even as turning them into solar power producers, helping climate change.”
Asked why the Gujarat government didn’t seem interested in the proposal, Dr Shah said, “Additional chief secretary, energy and petrochemicals, Sujit Gulati, personally visited the village Dhundi, where the experiment began two-and-a-half years ago, and found it very useful. We hope that our proposal will be accepted.”
The second official, who visited the village to oversee the experiment, and found it “interesting”, was ex-rural development commissioner Jayanthi Ravi. Interestingly, the Gujarat chief minister in an IWMI note has been quoted as praising the experiment, with the suggestion that a new solar policy would clinch the issue.

Jayanthi Ravi with Dr Tushaar Shah

However, despite the visit of the two officials, and Dr Shah’s talks at different levels, including the highest, a file is said to have been floated for going ahead with it for entire Gujarat, but, said sources, “the matter is stuck in the corridors of power.”
Talking about advantages of the IWMI proposal, Dr Shah said, “Currently, under a scheme, the state government provides 95% capital subsidy to the farmers willing use groundwater with the help of solar pumps, but for this they must give up their applications for electricity connections.”
He added, “2.5 lakh such applications for power connection lying with the state government, and if these farmers begin using solar pumps it would mean massive overexploitation of groundwater. After all, solar pumps allow groundwater pumping with no or little cost.”
The senior expert said, “Our proposal provides an alternative. We think there is no need, at the present stage, to withdraw the application for electricity connection. Instead, the farmers should be given 50% capital subsidy for installing the solar pump, but with the guarantee that the state government would buy up the surplus power at an agreed price.”
Underlining that this would “discourage” groundwater overexploitation, which otherwise would not be the case, Dr Shah said, “If taken up on a mass scale, it would save thermal power and groundwater, both. It’s a win-win proposal for farmers, the government and is in favour of climate change .”

Farmers' solar power generation cooperative members, Dhundi

As a result of state “indifference”, the IWMI, which is headquartered in Colombo and has an office in Anand, and works on water policy issues across the world, has been able to “tap” just nine farmers in Dhundi village over the last two-and-a-half years.
Under an agreement with the state government’s distribution company, Madhya Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (MGUVNL), these farmers sell their extra power at Rs 4.63 per unit, and as there is virtually no cost for producing power, it’s all their profit. The farmers sell about 60% of power they produce and their incomes have doubled.
“The IWMI subsidized solar pumps to these farmers. It also negotiated with MGUVNL to buy up extra power”, Dr Shah said, adding, “Now, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has agreed to have a similar experiment in village Mujkuva, also in Anand district. Fourteen farmers have agreed to buy up solar pumps at a subsidy that the IWMI would provide. Negotiations are on with MUGNL for buying up extra power.”

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

From jobless to ‘job-loss’ growth: Experts critique gig economy and fintech risks

By A Representative Leading economists and social activists gathered in the capital on Friday to launch the third edition of the State of Finance in India Report 2024-25 , issuing a stark warning that the rapid digitalization of the Indian economy is eroding welfare systems and entrenching "digital dystopia."

Search This Blog